Mike Dunlap on the Nuggets sideline with head coach George Karl in 2006.

George Karl has been an NBA head coach since 1984 (the year Carmelo Anthony was born) – and the Nuggets coach said Tuesday that Mike Dunlap “might be the brightest, smartest guy I’ve ever been around.”

Dunlap, a former Nuggets assistant under Karl, has been hired as the Bobcats coach. Many basketball fans and pundits have said the same thing in the past few hours: “Who’s Mike Dunlap?” But Karl said, “I think this will have more positives than people are thinking right now.”

Dunlap is a key fixture in the Denver basketball community – he coached at Metro State for a decade, winning two Division II titles (in 2000 and 2002). And he was a Nuggets assistant from 2006-08, becoming close friends with Karl and others on his staff. Most recently, Dunlap was an assistant for Steve Lavin at St. Johns – and he was that school’s acting head coach last season, while Lavin recovered from a prostate cancer fight.

The buzz cut has grown out to a longer mane, but the trademark smile and jumper remain the same. Linas Kleiza is loving his basketball life so much more now.

First, he’s playing. Shelved for nearly a year after undergoing microfracture surgery on his right knee last February, Kleiza is just starting to get his legs under him. He’s played in nine games this season. Ice packs are a way of life now. Ho hum days where the knee is sore are plentiful. Annoying days when it doesn’t get the proper time to bounce back because of a jam-packed NBA schedule are constant and will remain so.

Still, he’s happy to be back. And tonight, he’s back in more ways than one.

With the new-look, team-oriented Nuggets on big-time roll, it’s a good time to get some perspective from Scott Hastings.

The Nuggets’ color analyst for Altitude TV and afternoon sports-radio host on 104.3 FM-KKFN, has been talking sports and hoops since he retired from the NBA in 1993. Considering Hastings was a perennial member of the NBA’s “all-interview team” during his playing days, it’s not surprising he now makes his living as an analyst.

Scott Hastings played 11 seasons in the NBA before beginning a career in broadcasting.

Hasting has agreed to take readers’ questions for the next installment of The Denver Post’s “Fan Mail” feature. Ask him about the current Nuggets, or get him to dig up some memories from season’s past. After all, he enjoyed a long, colorful career as an NBA reserve for 11 seasons.

This flew under the radar a bit in town, but the latest round of NBA cancellations means one thing for Nuggets fans looking to get a chance to personally voice their opinions to Carmelo Anthony this season:

They won’t get that chance.

Anthony and the New York Knicks were scheduled to visit Denver on Nov. 16. It would have been the first time he returned to Denver after being traded from the team in February, and there were a good number of fans that wanted an opportunity to “greet” him that night.

But when NBA commissioner David Stern canceled games through Nov. 30 late last week, it wiped out Melo’s return to the Mile High City.

There was some hope that the NBA would play all 82 games anyway, but Stern made clear the league will not be able to play a full season, telling reporters “It’s not practical, possible or prudent to have a full season now. There will not be full NBA season under any circumstances.” So any hope of retaining that game is on life support at best.

Depending on how the NBA sets up next season’s schedule, Anthony might not come back to Denver until 2013. And by then, time may have dulled the sharp edges of a fan base that felt it was wronged in the Melodrama that led to him heading out of town.

Follow Chris Dempsey on Twitter @dempseypost or email him at cdempsey@denverpost.com

Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) gets a shot off against Boston's Paul Pierce on Tuesday in Game 2.

OKLAHOMA CITY — Last night, Carmelo Anthony played so well that TNT’s Charles Barkley said it was one of the greatest playoff performances. Ever.

With Amare Stoudemire and Chauncey Billups not playing due to injury, the Knicks’ Anthony scored 42 points (10-for-11 from the line) with 17 rebounds (five offensive) and six assists (yes, Melo had six assists in a basketball game). The Knicks lost, though, and are now down 0-2 to Boston.

Nuggets coach George Karl said he was watching from an Oklahoma City restaurant.

“He was fantastic — it’s what he can do,” Karl said of his old superstar.

Carmelo Anthony hadn't yet played a game in the NBA when he went fishing in Meeker with guide Rich Krause, shown, and Denver Post outdoors editor Charlie Meyers. (Charlie Meyers, Denver Post archives)

From the archives comes this article, featured on The Denver Post outdoors page on Oct. 5, 2003. Written shortly after Carmelo Anthony arrived in Denver for the first time since he was taken No. 3 overall in the NBA Draft. He was a 19-year-old rookie then, who hadn’t yet played a minute in the NBA.

He agreed to go fishing with legendary Post outdoors writer Charlie Meyers, in the hopes of filming a fishing show for ESPN. They flew to Meeker for two days.

Ty Lawson (3) has been terrific for the Nuggets this season. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)

The dawn of a new calendar year generally marks the time when those engrossed in football begin to turn their attention in earnest to the hardwood. The Nuggets have had a season’s worth of stories in just over two months. We know you haven’t paid attention to every dribble and that’s why this is here to catch you up. Here’s what you missed:

The camera flashbulbs haven’t stopped popping and the cheering and chanting is just reaching its crescendo for former NBA star Allen Iverson, who is now playing in Turkey. If you want to see how he’s looking on the court you can do so on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. MT, when NBA TV broadcasts a game with his new team, Besiktas Cola Turka, of the Beko Turkish Basketball League.

Interestingly enough, it’s a big game for Iverson and Besiktas. The opponent, Fenerbahce Ulker, is the defending TBL champion, so the former 76ers/Nuggets/Grizzlies/Pistons guard can make an early statement that he’s ready and able to lead his team to a successful season.

Iverson, an 11-time NBA All-Star, scored 15 points in his first game with the team on Tuesday in a loss.

ESPN on Sunday aired a look-back doc on the Pacers-Knicks feuds from the ’90s fronted by Reggie Miller and Spike Lee, called “Winning Time.” Part of the “30 for 30″ series. A good watch, about an NBA era a lot different than today. Back then, the rivalries were often more fierce because the characters were more fierce.

They spend a good chunk of time going over Game 1 of the ’95 Eastern Conference semifinals between the Pacers and Knicks. It’s the Spike Lee game, where Miller scored eight points in 8.9 seconds to steal in win in New York. Miller barked back and forth with Lee in the front row down the stretch, giving the choke sign at one point.

Anyway, the talking heads interviewed remembering the game tell about how they’ve never seen someone score eight points in nine seconds in an NBA game.

But Nuggets fans have seen it. They’ve seen it done for nine points in nine seconds.

Flash back to the 1994 season. Rodney Rogers’ rookie year. Fresh out of Wake Forest. Nuggets trailing the Jazz at McNichols by eight points with 31 seconds remaining.

Nine points. Three 3s. Nine seconds. Nugs come back to lead by one. (Nevermind they end up losing the game by one after Jeff Malone hit a jumper with 12 seconds left). And, almost more impressive, check Robert Pack recording three assists and two steals in nine seconds. Talk about padding your stats.

Allen Iverson got a warm reception in Denver when the Pistons played the Nuggets in 2008. (Karl Gehring, The Denver Post)

It didn’t take long for Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson to become good friends when The Answer was traded into town in 2007.

Now, Anthony wants to be there for his buddy, who is reportedly in a life spiraling out of control. Iverson’s wife wants a divorce. A Philadelphia Inquirer report said there are those worried whether gambling and alcohol will drag his life down to depths heretofore not seen.

Anthony shook his head when asked about his take on Iverson.

“It’s sad man,” Anthony said. “That’s my guy. I really don’t want to see him going through what he’s going through. From family issues to whatever is going on off the court. That’s something I really don’t want to see him go through. When one person is down, everyone starts kicking.”

Asked if he had seen alcohol abuse or excessive gambling when Iverson was in Denver, Anthony emphatically said, “No.”

Anthony said the last time he spoke with Iverson was two weeks ago.

“I haven’t talked to him since all of this stuff started coming out,” he said.

Asked what, if anything, he can do to help his friend, Anthony sighed.

“I can just try to be there for him, just try to talk to him, keep him positive and motivated,” Anthony said. “That’s the only thing I can do. At the end of the day he’s a man, he’s got to deal with his own problems. But I just want to be there for him in any way that I can.”

Ask my good friend Kareem, a die-hard Allen Iverson fan, what I think about the superstar guard and he’ll say I’m an A.I. hater.

I’ll say I’m just a realist.

But no matter how it’s cut, there is no denying Iverson’s return to Philadelphia against the Nuggets on Monday night was a smash success.

Really.

He started and scored 11 points with six assists and five rebounds in 37 minutes, and was given a standing ovation by the capacity crowd during introductions. But none of that was what mattered most. What mattered most is Iverson looked like a new man. He looked like a player who missed the game of basketball so much that he appreciated it more now than perhaps at any time in his 14-year career.

And so now he gets to write the final chapter. And I, for one, hope it ends happily.

Iverson deserves to go out on top, to have the final victory lap complete with the gold watch and rocking chair to celebrate a one-of-a-kind career. And here’s how that started last night: With A.I. playing within the team concept, repeatedly jumping off the bench to cheer and support his teammates; and simply enjoying the chance to play the game, to hear the crowd and to feel the thrill of playing in the NBA once again.

The question is: Can he make it last?

“The situation was different for him the last two years,” said Nuggets forward, and Iverson’s good friend, Carmelo Anthony. “I think everybody knows he can play. People just gotta say stuff. They have to say something. They hear one person say it then the next person has to say it. Everybody knows that man can play.”

Yet, this was never a conversation about Iverson’s playing ability. We all know if given a chance (ie: field goal attempts) he could put 20 points on the board most nights. No, Iverson’s near exile from the NBA was not media-made. It was Iverson-made, and it can only be Iverson-repaired.

Unrealized playoff success ended his tenure in Denver. Clashes with teammates and coaches eroded a stint with Detroit last season and another in Memphis this season.

And, quite simply, no team wanted to take a chance on a player that could introduce turbulence into the equation. That was never more apparent than when the Knicks passed on him. They really had no reason to, and copped-out citing development of their young players as an excuse – all two of them: Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler. Jordan Hill doesn’t play. Iverson no doubt could have fit into that situation with relative ease.

An injury and poor attendance in Philadelphia brought him back and hopefully with a new appreciation for what he almost completely lost. Iverson is one of the great treasures in NBA history, a barely 6-foot tall man that plays with precision, heart and, most of all, toughness. He is a first-ballot hall of famer and should be viewed as nothing less.

And he thoroughly enjoyed being back. He said as much afterwards, but it was written all over his face during the game. It was fun to see.

But here’s hoping his return isn’t simply a spectacle. The Wachovia Center was sold out, and will continue to house larger crowds now as long as No. 3 is on the roster. Merchandise sales are sure to rise. Memphis signed Iverson in hopes of similar gains to its organization’s bottom line.

But Iverson should be more than a sales piece. He’s talked about having respect for his career, and I can’t think of anything that screams of disrespect more than signing him simply to capitalize on his ‘bankability.’ If Philadelphia was selling out every night, would Iverson be back? If Memphis was selling out every night, would that organization have taken the chance?

In any case, Iverson gets what surely will be his last chance to dictate the terms of his retirement. He’s earned that. But it can only happen if this time he respects himself, the concept of a team and the game of basketball enough to allow his star to shine.

SAN ANTONIO – Players and coaches have been instructed not to talk about it, so they could not comment on this, but former NBA referee Tim Donaghy’s book ‘Personal Foul: A First-Person Account of the Scandal that Rocked the NBA’ has found a publisher and is out just in time for Christmas.

Of note to Nuggets fans will be this passage, in reference to a Nuggets 93-67 loss in San Antonio in the last game of the 2003-04 regular season that was officiated by Donaghy along with Dick Bavetta. It is part of a longer excerpt posted on Deadspin.com not too long ago:

‘Two weeks before the 2003–04 season ended, Bavetta and I were assigned to officiate a game in Oakland. That afternoon before the tip-off, we were discussing an upcoming game on our schedule. It was the last regular-season game we were scheduled to work, pitting Denver against San Antonio. Denver had lost a game a few weeks prior because of a mistake made by the referees, a loss that could be the difference between them making or missing the playoffs. Bavetta told me Denver needed the win and that it would look bad for the staff and the league if the Nuggets missed the playoffs by one game. There were still a few games left on the schedule before the end of the season, and the standings could potentially change. But on that day in Oakland, Bavetta looked at me and casually stated, “Denver will win if they need the game. That’s why I’m on it.”

I was thinking, How is Denver going to win on the road in San Antonio? At the time, the Spurs were arguably the best team in the league. Bavetta answered my question before it was asked.

“Duncan will be on the bench with three fouls within the first five minutes of the game,” he calmly stated.

Bavetta went on to inform me that it wasn’t the first time the NBA assigned him to a game for a specific purpose. He cited examples, including the 1993 playoff series when he put New Jersey guard Drazen Petrovic on the bench with quick fouls to help Cleveland beat the Nets. He also spoke openly about the 2002 Los Angeles–Sacramento series and called himself the NBA’s “go-to guy.”

As it turned out, Denver didn’t need the win after all; they locked up a spot in the playoffs before they got to San Antonio. In a twist of fate, it was the Spurs that ended up needing the win to have a shot at the division title, and Bavetta generously accommodated. In our pre-game meeting, he talked about how important the game was to San Antonio and how meaningless it was to Denver, and that San Antonio was going to get the benefit of the calls that night. Armed with this inside information, I called Jack Concannon before the game and told him to bet the Spurs.

To no surprise, we won big. San Antonio blew Denver out of the building that evening, winning by 26 points. When Jack called me the following morning, he expressed amazement at the way an NBA game could be manipulated.’

MOE ON KIKI

On Friday night, Doug Moe watched a New Jersey Nets-Charlotte Bobcats game with a ton of interest and with knots in his stomach.

On one side he had his good friend Larry Brown. On the other he had a former player, Kiki Vandeweghe.

“I wanted Kiki to get a win,” Moe, the former Nuggets coach, said. “But I didn’t want Larry to lose.”

Brown did lose, and it was the Nets’ first win of the season after 18 straight losses to open the season. It was also Vandeweghe’s debut as coach of a team he has had a large hand in building. And though Vandeweghe has described himself as hesitant to take the job, Moe said don’t look for the former Nugget to look to jump back into the front office at his first chance.

“I don’t think so,” Moe said. “I think he is embracing the coaching job, and I think that he would like to stay in coaching if he does well enough. I think he’s kind of excited about it from the standpoint of seeing what he can do and see how things would work out.”

Vandeweghe played for the Nuggets from 1980-84. He was Nuggets general manager from 2001-06.

“I think Kiki will do well,” Moe said. “He knows the game, understands the game. I think his temperament is good. I think he’ll do good. It’s a very tough situation watching the game.”

Moe does not plan on giving coaching advice.

“No. Not in any capacity,” laughed Moe. “I won’t even talk to him and distract him. Those are things that he’ll… You know, you got to get your own feel for things. He’ll handle it.”

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Though Eduardo Najera has been gone from the Nuggets for two seasons, when his Nets faced Denver on Wednesday it was actually the first time he’d faced his former team since he left in the summer of 2008. Injuries kept him out of both games against the Nuggets last season, and he played in just 27 games overall. He played four seasons with the Nuggets and was a favorite for his hustle, hard work and toughness.

As of Thursday, Najera had played in three of the Nets five games – the other two were DNP-CDs – and is averaging 6.7 points and 5.0 rebounds. I caught up with him for a short interview to see how he’s feeling these days, how he likes New Jersey and how long he’ll continue playing basketball.

CD: It’s good to actually see you on the court, and not in the training room.
EN: (laughs) I know. It’s going pretty well. I wish we had a few more wins, but hopefully we’ll have it (soon).

CD: What were your emotions facing the Nuggets?
EN: It’s actually the first time I played against them. Obviously I have feelings about the Nuggets. I still know most of the guys on the team, coaches, organization. Playing against the Nuggets was weird at the beginning, but I was excited.

CD: How are you feeling? Are all the injuries behind you?
EN: I feel that the Nuggets got the best out of my body. That’s for sure. (laughs) I feel great. Last year it was tough. But this year it seems like I turned the corner. I feel so much better. Hopefully I’ll hold up. I feel like I’m in pretty good shape so far and as long as I take care of my body I should be OK.

CD: How much longer is basketball in your future?
EN: I don’t know. Whenever I can’t compete, that’s the bottom line. I think that whenever I can’t compete, I can’t move like I want to, then that will be time for me to walk away. But right now I feel that I can run with everybody.

Yet, in the last three years the Nuggets have done very little drafting and a whole lot of trading draft picks away. Until this year’s second-rounder, the Nuggets have had just one pick in the last three years. And there is a chance the team could trade this pick away as well.

On Friday, Warkentien, the Nuggets vice president of basketball operations, offered up an explanation on why the draft actually has been good to the Nuggets and why pick or not, the draft will continue to be the Nuggets’ friend.

“When we picked up J.R. Smith, we had two second round picks,” Warkentien said. “At the end of the day, we valued J.R. Smith more than the second round picks. At the end of the day, we viewed Allen Iverson as a better asset (than the two first round draft picks), and that became Chauncey (Billups).

“Yeah, we do value the picks. We value the draft highly. But we love Chauncey Billups better than those picks. Liked J.R. better than those picks. Last year, we liked Sonny Weems better than having a future second-round pick. In that case, we bet on Sonny. In this case, which bet do you want to make? There’s a lot of media attention to the draft, and there’s a lot of focus on it because most people understand who the players are and whatever. But the draft is just another way of making your team better.”

For a long time, the draft was just something to pass the time. The Nuggets don’t have a great draft history.

In the 1980s, when drafts were as large as 10 rounds, the Nuggets selected 73 players. Only 15 of those players suited up for the Nuggets. Of those 15, only Blair Rasmussen (6), Jerome Lane (4) and Todd Lichti (4) played more than three seasons for the team. Not a great decade.

But there were a few gems over time. This year’s draft is on Thursday, and I’ve compiled the best and worsts drafts in Nuggets NBA history.

– Except for Grant, every single player in those four drafts played for the Nuggets. More importantly their highest picks, Rauf (who was Chris Jackson when the Nuggets drafted him), Mutombo, Ellis and Rogers became the key cogs in Denver’s now second-most memorable playoff run in 1993 when the Nuggets upset the top-seeded SuperSonics before losing in seven games to the Utah Jazz. At 43, Mutombo is still in the NBA after 18 seasons, though a knee injury suffered in this past season’s playoffs might end it. Rogers, who played 12 seasons, was tragically paralyzed in an ATV accident almost seven months ago.

– Carmelo Anthony might not have been who the Nuggets would have taken if they had the No. 2 pick, but the basketball gods smiled on the franchise, leaving there no choice but to take Anthony with the No. 3 pick. Anthony had the best season of his career in 2008-09, clearly establishing himself as the face of the franchise, leading the Nuggets to the Western Conference Finals. Anthony alone makes this a phenomenal draft. The Nuggets won 17 games the year before he arrived, and 43 (and a playoff berth) his first season with the team. Becirovic has not, and probably will not, play for the Nuggets, but interestingly enough the guy has been a winner on nearly every team he’s played for in Europe. He won the 2002 Italian Cup with Vitus Bologna. He won the 2005 Super Italian Cup with Climamio Bologna. He won the 2006-07 Euroleague championship, two Greek Cups (2007, 2008) and two Greek championships (2007, 2008) with Panathinaikos.

– I know, I know. Just follow me here. The Tskitishvili pick was bad, particularly because pretty much no one laid eyes on him in person before drafting him. Not Tskitishvili’s fault, though. The best part of this draft was what the Nuggets were able to do with Williams. The Nuggets traded the draft rights to Williams along with forward Antonio McDyess and a future second round pick to the New York Knicks for center Marcus Camby, guard Mark Jackson and the draft rights to Nene. They waived Jackson before the season. Camby won the Defensive Player of the Year with the Nuggets and helped the team to five straight playoffs. Nene blossomed this season and is expected to be a leader on the team for years to come.

This class of 12 draftees was the biggest class the Nuggets have ever drafted. And out of this haul, only Ray, Nicks, Oldham and Valentine played for the Nuggets the next season. By 1981, only Ray was left on the team. He played three seasons with the Nuggets, but was never more than a bit player for the team – not the value they wanted out of the fifth overall pick. The Nuggets did not re-sign him when his contract expired after the 1982-83 season.

– The Nuggets were in need of an outside shooter that season – and they drafted Hodge, whose biggest weakness was his outside shot. He held on with the franchise for two seasons, and now writes an internet blog while playing overseas and waiting for his next chance in the NBA. The draft rights to Jarrett Jack were traded for the draft rights to Linas Kleiza, which can be seen as mostly a wash, though Jack played much better than Kleiza last season. The Nuggets still have the rights to Hervelle, who is likely to never see the light of day with the organization. He did show up to summer league two seasons ago but did not play. Anyway, his play overseas has reportedly declined and he signed a three-year contract last summer for over a million Euro per year.

– Draft rights to Tyronn Lue, along with Tony Battie, were traded to Los Angeles for guard Nick Van Exel. The Nuggets won 14 games the following season which, incidentally, was also the first for Denver-native Chauncey Billups in a Nuggets uniform. Fowlkes never played for the Nuggets, and didn’t even play in the NBA until the 2001-02 season with the L.A. Clippers. LaFrentz was serviceable, but certainly not a top-three pick in a draft that saw Vince Carter, Antawn Jamison, Dirk Nowitzki and Paul Pierce taken after him. At least hustle-happy Ryan Bowen grew into a fan-favorite.

2001

47 (2): Ousmane Cisse, F, St. Jude H.S. (Ala.)

– Yes, he was a second round pick, but still. Cisse was injured and never played for the Nuggets. In fact, he’s only played one game in the NBA in his career. One. But on the bright side, he did play with the Harlem Globetrotters, the now-defunct Fayetteville Patriots of the NBADL, the USBL and now plays overseas.

– Out of this bunch, only Andre Moore played for the Nuggets that season, and he played only seven games. Now, the Nuggets didn’t need him, as they were stocked and won 54 games that year. But if the Nuggets would have drafted no one that night, it would have been equally as good as what they did do that night.

It was Monday night, prior to Game 4 of the Nuggets’ Western Conference semifinal series against Dallas at the American Airlines Center. I bumped into the winningest coach in franchise history, Doug Moe, in a hall just outside the visitor’s locker room.

So naturally, I asked him if the team we are all witnessing in these playoffs is the best Nuggets team ever. Moe was the coach the last time Denver advanced to the Western Conference Finals, in 1985.

This is what he said: “That’s a good question. It certainly can be the best. If I had to say right now, I’d say it’s the best team. We had some pretty good teams, but this one is, I think, the best. Of course, we still have a ways to go to prove it. But I’d have to say I’d put this team as No. 1.”

The way I see it, this is a three-team list: The 1984-85 Nuggets; the 1977-78 Nuggets; and this year’s Nuggets. Playoff success separates these teams from the rest in franchise history.

1977-78 NUGGETS (48-34)

The 1977-78 Nuggets, coached by Larry Brown, were the first team in its NBA franchise history to get to the Western Conference finals. That only required winning one round to get there (they had a first-round bye), and David Thompson’s Nuggets did just that, outlasting Milwaukee 4-3, a team that featured Brian Winters, Marques Johnson, Quinn Buckner – and a young Alex English, in just his second season in the NBA. Two seasons later, English was traded by Indiana to the Nuggets where he became one of the NBA’s best scorers and an eventual hall of famer. But here he was just another player on the Nuggets’ run to the conference finals.

That team lost to Seattle 4-2 in the Western Conference finals. Thompson led the team in the 1978 playoffs with 25.2 points per game. Dan Issel was a double-double waiting to happen with averages of 20.2 points, 10.3 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. Swingman Anthony Roberts rounded out a lethal trio with averages of 16.3 points and 8.3 rebounds. Bobby Jones was an effective starter as well. Defense was their shortcoming. They allowed 113.6 points and opponents shot 47.6 percent from the field. Both numbers eclipsed the Nuggets 110.6 points and 45.7 percent shooting.

1984-85 NUGGETS (52-30)

Coached by Moe, the 1984-85 Nuggets were a blur to every opponent who dared oppose them, leading the league in scoring at 120 points per game during the regular season. Their playoff road included series wins over San Antonio (3-2) and Utah (4-1), before losing to the L.A. Lakers (4-1) in the Western Conference Finals. There is a general belief among Nuggets fans who witnessed the WCF that the Nuggets may have been better than L.A., and in fact earned a split of the first two games on the road by beating the Magic Johnson/Kareem Abdul-Jabbar-led Lakers 136-114 in Game 2.

But Alex English, who averaged 30.2 points per game in postseason, broke his right thumb in Game 3, and watched the rest of the series. A hobbled Calvin Natt gutted games out. Fat Lever, a triple-double threat who led the team in assists and steals during the regular season, didn’t even play in the series. He was injured during the conference semifinals against Utah and was out for the playoffs. Dan Issel’s final shot of the series and his career was a 3-point basket in Game 5, and Lakers fans gave him a standing ovation when he was removed from the game. He retired from the NBA soon thereafter.

2008-09 NUGGETS (54-28)

Coach George Karl’s Nuggets tied the franchise record for victories this season and have kept getting stronger in the playoffs. The Nuggets won both of their series 4-1 and won those eight games by an average of 20.5 points. All fueling Moe’s belief that this team is the franchise’s best ever.

“What’s happened is I think this team has really grown,” Moe said. “Getting Chauncey, giving us a true point guard; he’s made everyone else better. He’s made George’s job easier in coaching this team. It used to be we’d compete for a game and then take two or three or four or five off and then compete another game, and then hope to win on shooting good. But not competing to the degree that we’re competing now. Now, if things go bad, we’re still playing tough. The whole atmosphere, to me, this year, has changed. It’s been a gradual change, and just keeps getting better and better.

Asked if he was surprised at the overnight success nature of the Nuggets run, Moe said, “Yeah, I guess so. We’ve reached a level that I didn’t know we could reach, and probably that’s because I didn’t know if we could compete game in and game out. We hadn’t really done that in the past. We’ve got a really good team.”

Chris Dempsey arrived at The Denver Post in Dec. 2003 after seven years at the Boulder Daily Camera, where he primarily covered the University of Colorado football and men's basketball teams. A University of Colorado-Boulder alumnus, Dempsey covers the Nuggets and also chips in on college sports.

Nicki Jhabvala is the Sports Digital News Editor for The Denver Post. Before arriving in Denver, she spent five years at Sports Illustrated working primarily as its online NBA editor, and she was most recently the overnight home page editor at the New York Times.